The growth of Si on silicon nitride surfaces has been studied using in situ STM, low energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. In the early stage(T=350—1075 K), Si nano-clusters can appear on different substrates. These clusters are round with sizes in the range of several nanometers.They are also rather stable when the substrate temperature changes (or annealing). As these clusters grow continually, crystalline facets start to form. On the crystalline Si3N4(0001)/Si(111), Si islands with (111) oriented top facets grow faster than others, and they are aligned with the original Si(111) substrate. Finally, Si(111) became the dominant feature on the whole surface. In contrast, on the amorphous Si3N4 surface, Si islands grow in random orientation. Low-index facets, such as (111) and (100), and high-index facets, such as (113), coexist. Some discussions are given to explain the above growth procedures.
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